Johannesburg – Reports of collusion between police and criminals in the Western Cape are a serious allegation, the police ministry said on Thursday.

“Should they be proven true, they could compromise and derail efforts of crime reduction, not only in the Western Cape but the whole country,” spokesman Zweli Mnisi said in a statement.

The department was responding to a report that gangsters on the Cape Flats were shielded by an army of foot soldiers, as they used their wealth to buy information from authorities.

Hanif Loonat, chairman of the Western Cape Community Policing Forum, reportedly said gangsters’ intelligence gathering was up to 10 times better than the police’s.

“There are police officers who give them information, (who) tell them what the police’s plan are…They have people at ministerial level, in Parliament, in local government. These guys pay for information,” Loonat was quoted as saying.

Criminologist Eldred de Klerk reportedly agreed with Loonat, saying there were “corrupt agents” within the police.

“The police should be subjected to polygraph tests,” De Klerk said.

The ministry called these allegations “worrying” and “image-tarnishing”.

“I view these remarks in (a) serious (light) and challenge both Loonat and De Klerk to come forward with evidence to back up their claims,” Mnisi said.

“Indeed if the claims are true, the law would have to take its course irrespective of whoever is involved.”

Mnisi cautioned against generalisations when making allegations.

“Police are not immune to criticism as much as civilians are not. However we want to caution against grandstanding,” he said.

“If there are any allegations of collusion between police and criminals, government has various oversight structures such as the Independent Police Investigative Directorate, the Civilian Secretariat for Police (and) the presidential hotline which they can utilise to report such matters.” – Sapa

Bloemfontein – Northern Cape acting Premier Sylvia Lucas was officially elected and sworn in as new premier, said a legislature official on Thursday.

“She will deliver her inaugural speech on 30 May 2013,” said Mpho Marina, spokesperson in the Speaker’s office.

Former premier Hazel Jenkins resigned as a member of the provincial legislature and Northern Cape premier this week.

Jenkins collapsed while delivering her State-of-the-Province address last year after suffering a brain aneurysm.

Two African National Congress members in the Northern Cape legislature had served as acting premiers while Jenkins was recuperating.

Lucas acted as premier since the beginning of May this year.

– SAPA

The Risk Management Unit in the Office of the Premier has been rated as excellent by the Department of Performance Monitoring and Evaluation in the Presidency, North West Premier Thandi Modise reported on Thursday.

Pretoria – Having signed a new three-year deal with SuperSport United, Senegalese striker Mame Niang says he has a point to prove when he returns to the Pretoria outfit.

Niang was sent out on loan to cross-town rivals the University of Pretoria at the beginning of the season, but he agreed to a new contract and will join up with the Matsatsantsa squad for pre-season preparations in July.

Niang scored 10 goals in 25 appearances for AmaTuks – three less than the league’s top striker, Katlego Mashego – helping the top-flight newcomers to a top-eight finish in the PSL.

“I love challenges. I feel like I have unfinished business with SuperSport,” Niang said at the AmaTuks awards evening in Pretoria on Wednesday night, where the lanky attacker walked away with the golden boot award for the most goals of the season for the club.

“For me to score two goals in a whole season (at SuperSport in 2011/12), I don’t feel it’s right for a striker of my standard.

“I have to go back there and show them that they didn’t make a mistake by signing me back.”

With plenty of interest shown in the attacker’s post-season movements from the likes of Orlando Pirates, Bloemfontein Celtic and Moroka Swallows, Niang said he selected United based on their style of play.

“I chose SuperSport because I felt it was the kind of team that might play to my strengths,” he said.

“I didn’t want to go to a team that played different football and I end up being nowhere.

“I would rather go to a team that plays to my strengths. I’m a different kind of player.”

Niang said he was delighted to leave Tuks knowing he had scored goals that helped them qualify for next season’s MTN8 competition.

“It’s always nice to win the golden boot award.

“It’s always sweet to win it – it means you’re doing your job well – and I’m pleased to have won it for AmaTuks for the very first time (since being in the PSL).

“I’m leaving the club, which is sad, so it’s special because it’s the first time the team is in the top league and I’m the first player to win it.

“I’m glad I have 10 goals because it’s a good achievement for a striker.

“My aim is always to get to double figures. I feel that I can always get to double figures, and as soon as I get there, I can target something more.”

Niang won the 2005/06 Premiership top goal-scorer award, netting 14 times for Moroka Swallows, and he was looking to end his career in South Africa with another successful stint.

“I’m going to SuperSport knowing that I have to fight for my position, which I like.

“I’m 29 and I have to look after myself now. I’m not going to play for the next 10 years.

“This is a good deal and SuperSport is a club that I’m looking to win titles with.

“I feel like this season I have improved so much in my game. I feel like next season I can lift mountains.”

SAPA

Johannesburg – President Jacob Zuma has condemned the practice of using his name and that of Cabinet Ministers to secure privileges or flout government procedures.

“It is unfortunate that some officials and members of the public would resort to that practice of using and abusing the names of members of Cabinet in this manner to further their own ends, as alleged,” Zuma said in a statement on Thursday.

“We call for vigilance and urge all our officials who are entrusted with managing state institutions not to succumb to pressure from name-droppers… they should immediately report anyone who behaves in this manner to their superiors and to law enforcement agencies.”

The full report on the landing of the Gupta family’s private jet on 29 April at the Waterkloof Air Force Base was released on Wednesday, just before the debate in the National Assembly.

The jet landed at Waterkloof, carrying 270 guests for the wedding of Vega Gupta, 23, and Indian-born Aakash Jahajgarhia at Sun City.

The landing sparked widespread criticism.

Spokesperson Mac Maharaj said Zuma did not speak to or authorise any government official to process or approve the landing of the private plane at Waterkloof, as alleged.

“The report has found that the name of the President [Jacob Zuma] was used to flout procedures.”

Zuma welcomed the report, said Maharaj.

“President Zuma urges law enforcement agencies to press ahead with any investigations that would be necessary, arising from the report.”

– SAPA

Orlando Pirates winger Tlou Segolela will give the club first preference to renew his contract, but there is no guarantee that he will stay.

Sox’s future has been a subject of speculation over the months and KickOff.com can confirm that Segolela met his business manager Tim Sukazi on Wednesday to discuss his future – the same day Pirates tried in vain to tie him down to a new contract.

Sukazi explains: “Tlou’s contract with Pirates, which expires on June 30, has an option but that option does not meet all the requirements for it to be legally binding.

“One of the most obvious and important requirement for an option to be legally binding, is that it must state the price at which it is granted by the grantor and accepted by the grantee – in simple football language, it must contain the financial figures that relate to the player’s earnings during the option period.

“If this requirement is not met, then that option is not binding in law. This would mean that the contract in question will expire on its expiry date and that option will not take effect – technically, the player concerned becomes a free agent post the expiry date of the contract.

“There have been a few cases in recent times on similar matters, the most recent of which is that between Roscoe Petersen and Chippa United which erupted just before the beginning of last season. Petersen was correctly declared a free agent by the PSL DRC pursuant to a dispute that arose under similar circumstances.” Sukazi discloses.

Be that as it may, Sukazi says his client is willing to stay at Pirates but that depends on whether “certain political hazards that resulted in Segolela seeing limited game time” in the season that just ended would be cast aside. According to Sukazi, this is his client’s main concern more than any financial considerations.

Sukazi continues: “So the next question is where would Segolela go if he fails to reach an agreement with Pirates? The answer is simple and not so simple at the same time. The simple answer is that there are just too many clubs that have shown interest in Segolela, locally and in Europe. To this end, we have already received a written proposal from a reputable European club while others have made telephonic inquiries.

“The logical move would be to first try out with a European club and if that does not materialise for any unforeseen reason, then his first preference will be to stay at Orlando Pirates. If that fails, then his options are pretty much wide on the local front.

“What I do want to emphasise, especially to the Pirates fans, is that Tlou is willing to stay at Pirates provided that circumstances do allow him,” Sukazi concludes.

So as it stands, it seems the ball is in Pirates’ court.
For more http://www.kickoff.com

Bafana Bafana coach Gordon Igesund (Gallo Images)
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Cape Town – The South African Football Association (SAFA) has confirmed that Bafana Bafana’s friendly international against Lesotho will not be moved to Bloemfontein.

The game will now be played on June 2, a day later than initially scheduled, but will stay in Maseru.

Officials were negotiating to have the match moved from the Lesotho capital to Bloemfontein to make logistics easier for Bafana Bafana, who travel to Cameroon afterwards.

SAFA spokesperson Dominic Chimhavi confirmed to the KickOff.com website that the game was delayed by a day but it won’t be moved. It will also take place during the day, and not under floodlights as initially planned.

The friendly serves as a warm up for both countries ahead of Soccer World Cup qualifiers in June.

Bafana Bafana have two away matches in Group B against the Central African Republic on June 8 in Yaounde, Cameroon and Ethiopia on June 16 in Addis Ababa.

Lesotho play Zambia on June 8 and then host Ghana in Maseru a week later.
For more http://www.news24.com

Rustenburg – National police commissioner Riah Phiyega was misrepresented in a Sowetan newspaper article shortly after the Marikana shootings, the Farlam Commission of Inquiry heard on Thursday.

Under cross-examination by Dali Mpofu, for the wounded and arrested miners, Phiyega denied quotes attributed to her in the newspaper.

According to the article, Phiyega said police should not be sorry about shooting dead 34 miners on 16 August during the wage-related strike at Lonmin’s platinum mine last year.

She had been speaking at the funeral of Warrant Officer Sello Ronnie Lepaku on 20 August.

Striking mineworkers killed Lepaku during the unrest. Another officer was also killed and one was injured.

“[The] safety of the public is not negotiable. Take into account the reasons why we did what we did,” Phiyega was quoted as saying.

Misrepresentation

On Thursday, Phiyega denied she said any of this. It was a serious misrepresentation of what she had actually said at the funeral.

“I hold no authority on the words written by a journalist,” she said.

Everything she said at the funeral had been scripted, and her script from the funeral did not contain any of the things the Sowetan reported on.

“If you look at other newspaper reports, not one of the others say this,” said Phiyega.

Mpofu said merely because those words were not printed in her scripted speech, it did not necessarily mean she had not said them.

Commission chairperson, retired Judge Ian Farlam, enquired whether there was any video footage or audio available from the funeral.

Ishmael Semenya, for the police, said he was not sure and would look into it.

Mpofu also questioned why Phiyega had not followed up with the newspaper.

If the content was untrue, it would have had a damaging effect on herself and the SA Police Service (SAPS), he said.

“I didn’t dispute it, because we were not responding to any statements at the time. We wanted to give this process [the commission] a chance,” Phiyega responded.

“I was hopeful that we would get the opportunity to correct it.”

Addressing the issue

Mpofu said Phiyega’s lawyers had failed to raise the misrepresentation of her speech during her evidence-in-chief.

Phiyega said she believed that in taking part in the commission and answering the questions posed to her, she felt they were addressing it.

“I’m happy for this opportunity to address the commission. If they [Sowetan] have an appetite to correct it, they can do so. If they do not, I am doing it here,” she said.

The commission, sitting in Rustenburg, is investigating the circumstances surrounding the deaths of 44 people during the Marikana unrest.

Police shot dead 34 striking Lonmin mineworkers on 16 August. Ten people, including two police officers, were killed in the preceding week.

– SAPA